Friday is set to be a historic day for climate activism. Protests are being organized worldwide to demand that governments around the world take decisive action in the face of the current climate crisis. In Montreal, 300,000 people are expected to take to the streets. Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg will take part in the parade, as will Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and several other public figures.
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Global warming caused by man-made CO2 emissions is now understood as a fundamental threat to biodiversity, food and water security and a score of other key environmental factors essential for human society to survive and thrive. The Beat 92.5 will be at the march to show our support for this important cause and join our voices to those demanding more government action.
Several educational institutions, including universities, CEGEPs and all CSDM schools, will be closed for the day to allow students to attend the climate march. Many businesses are choosing to close for the day as well, to allow employees to participate.
Here are a few very important key points to know ahead of this historic occasion… Whether you’re participating or not!
WHERE & WHEN IT’S HAPPENING
Organizers for the climate march are keeping the details secret for now. They say that’s necessary for safety and logistical reasons. However, we do know a few things.
Starting point: the march starts at noon on Friday, September 27, 2019 at the Georges-Étienne-Cartier statue in Mont-Royal Park facing Avenue du Parc.
From there, the march will likely head South on Avenue du Parc, then on Bleury, towards downtown Montreal.
Ending point: the march is expected to end at the new linear park on Robert-Bourassa, at the entrance of the Bonaventure Expressway.
TRANSPORTATION
The STM has posted a map of the expected “Bus service disruption zone” on their website. On Friday, the STM’s metro, bus and paratransit services will be completely free. However, the STM did say that bus routes are expected to be disrupted for this occasion, so taking the metro to get around is probably a better option.
Bixi bikes will also be free tomorrow, from 9am to 3pm.
Expect Montreal’s road network to be heavily affected by this protest. Aside from the march itself, there are a few planned closures to know about.
Bus closures: several key bus lines will have cancelled stops from 10:30am to 8pm, including bus lines 11, 15, 24, 29, 35, 36, 55, 61, 74, 75, 80, 97, 125, 129, 144, 150, 168, 178, 410, 420, 427, 430, 445, 465, 480, 715 and 747.
Road closures: because the march is expected to end at the linear park on Robert-Bourassa at the entrance of the Bonaventure Expressway, both roads – Robert-Bourassa AND the Bonaventure – will be entirely closed in both directions Friday.
In addition, Victoria Bridge will be CLOSED in the Montreal direction. Both lanes will be heading in the South Shore direction.
This is going to cause lots of problems for motorists in the downtown core. All in all, the perimeter between Highway 15, Highway 720 and the Bonaventure Expressway should be avoided if possible.